Spinach, Cheese and Chili Stuffed Flank Steak

This stuffed flank steak recipe is packed with loads of spinach, melty cheese and a mix of peppers for a nice level of spice. Stuff, sear, bake! Easy! Perfect for the holiday table or an anytime meal!

Are you a fan of flank steak? I sure am. I never liked it as a kid because I thought it was chewy, but I believe it was in how it was prepared. As I grew older and learned how to cook, I came to truly appreciate the simplicity and flavor of a good flank steak.

With the holidays upon us, I encourage you to consider the humble flank steak as an option for a dinner party. Most of us in the U.S. think right away of fat stuffed turkeys and large bone-in hams, but if you’re in the mood for a change-up or something a bit different this year, a flank steak will surely deliver.

With this recipe, we’re not just slapping a slab of flank steak in front of you, which wouldn’t be all that bad, to be honest. Nope. Today, we’re stuffing it full of fresh baby spinach, flavorful melty cheese, and a selection of chili peppers that you can easily adjust to your own heat level preference.

We butterfly the flank steak, stuff it, tie it up, then season and sear it just before finishing it in the oven. Not only is this stuffed flank steak HUGE on flavor, it’s actually very easy to prepare and cook up. It won’t take hours and hours like a turkey.

How to Make Stuffed Flank Steak – the Recipe Method

BUTTERFLY THE FLANK STEAK. Use a sharp knife to trim any excess fat from the steak, then slice the flank steak along the thin edge almost entirely through, a bit at a time, until the steak opens up like a book.

You can see how wide it is and how it is supposed to look after you butterfly it, cut along the edges of the steak on the cutting board.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the steak with Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper.

With the steak opened up, layer on your stuffing ingredients. First, start with the chopped onion and garlic.

The Chili Peppers. Layer them on as evenly as possible. Chop larger peppers into small chunks and slice smaller peppers, like these serranos from my garden, in half or quarters. Choose a selection at your own preferred heat level.

Baby Spinach. You can really load it up here, as the baby spinach will squeeze down easily, and will also soften up and shrink in size from the cooking process.

Cheese. Load this baby up with lots of cheese. I fit 2 cups of shredded Monterrey Jack here. I may have over stuffed it just a tad.

Get Rolling. Roll the steak up so that all of the ingredients are stuffed inside of it. I spilled a tiny bit. Oops!

Kitchen Twine. Tie it up with cooking twine. This will help keep everything together as it cooks. Without the kitchen twine, the steak may unravel and spill out the stuffing.

Sear the Steak. Heat some oil in a large cast iron pan or pot to medium-high heat. Sear the stuffed flank steak on each side, 4-5 minutes, until you get a nice char.

Finish it Off in the Oven. Transfer the pan to the oven (or use a baking dish) and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until it is done to your preference. See the recipe notes for cooking times and temperatures.

Remove the steak from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes to come up to temperature, then slice and serve.

BOOM! That’s it, my friends! Pretty easy, right? Cooks up much faster than a holiday bird! Dinner on the table in under an hour. I love that.

Here it is, all sliced up. Doesn’t it look great?

Here are answers to some common questions people have when making a stuffed flank steak.

Recipe Tips & Notes

How to Butterfly a Flank Steak. Butterflying a flank steak can be a bit tricky if you haven’t done it before. It’s really just slicing the steak almost completely in half through the thin edge, so you can open it up like a book, which makes it easier to stuff. It does require a bit of knife skills. Here is a good video resource for How to Butterfly a Flank Steakin order to help you.

Flatten the Flank Steak. After you butterfly the steak, you can pound it flatter with a meat tenderizer or with a rolling pin. This will spread the steak out even further, making it easier to stuff. This is an optional step, but some people enjoy the results.

Stuffing Options. I’ve chosen to use spinach, cheese and peppers for my stuffing because they are popular choices and go so nicely together. However, your choices are practically limitless. Got a favorite combination? Give it a go. Consider an Italian Stuffed Flank Steak with basil, Italian sausage, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan and mozzarella. How about a Mexican Style Stuffed Flank Steak with chorizo and chihuahua cheese. So many options. I can’t wait to make them all!

The Peppers. I’ve used a combination of sweet and spicy peppers here, but your choice is unlimited. Sweet peppers offer a great flavor, and serrano peppers have a nice level of heat for me. You can go hotter if you’d like, but don’t hurt yourself, you crazy chilihead. For a milder stuffed flank steak, skip the hot peppers and go with sweet.

Try Some of My Other Flank Steak Recipes

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Instructions

BUTTERFLY THE FLANK STEAK. Use a sharp knife to trim any excess fat from the steak, then slice the flank steak along the thin edge almost entirely through, a bit at a time, until the steak opens up like a book.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the steak with Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper.

With the steak opened up, layer on the peppers, garlic and onion, then the baby spinach, then the cheese.

Roll the steak up so that all of the ingredients are stuffed inside of it. Tie it up with cooking twine.

Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan or pot to medium-high heat. Sear the stuffed flank steak on each side, 4-5 minutes, until you get a nice char.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it is done to your preference. See the recipe notes for cooking times and temperatures.

Remove the steak from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Notes

Test the stuffed flank steak temperature with a meat thermometer. Pull it out 5 degrees lower than your preferred doneness, as it will continue to cook and the temperature will rise a bit during the resting period. Desired temperatures are:

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

2 comments

Cooked as listed and was pretty good. De seeded sarranos for wife’s taste. Concept is awesome. Options of stuffings offer unlimited taste. Actually better the next day as left overs. Flank steak if you’ve never had, is a bit tough. But in fairness, we cooked to med. rare. Thanks for the recipe.

I appreciate you giving it a go, Harrison. Yes, flank steak is not quite as tender as other cuts, but it is packed with a lot of flavor. You can up that flavor quotient next time with some extra seasonings, possibly a marinade – see my jacked up steak marinade recipe or my carne asada marinade recipe – and playing with the stuffing ingredients to your preference. Happy to help you adapt!

Reply

WELCOME!

Hi, Everyone! I'm Mike, your chilihead friend who LOVES good food. I love it spicy, and hopefully you do, too. Here you'll find hundreds of spicy recipes of all levels, some with a little, some with a LOT, but everything is adjustable to your personal tastes. You'll also learn a lot about chili peppers and seasonings, my very favorite things.